Energy Efficient LED Lighting

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LED street lights

2018 Emerald Award Winner

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​​The City of Calgary is proud to be the recipient of the Emerald Award in the Government Institution category. The Emerald Awards recognize and celebrate the outstanding environmental achievements of large and small businesses, individuals, not-for-profit associations, community groups, youth, and governments.

Information |
2018 Emerald Award Winner

​​The City of Calgary is proud to be the recipient of the Emerald Award in the Government Institution category. The Emerald Awards recognize and celebrate the outstanding environmental achievements of large and small businesses, individuals, not-for-profit associations, community groups, youth, and governments.

The City of Calgary is always looking for ways to reduce electricity consumption and provide quality lighting on city roadways.

Based on an assessment of available technologies, LED (light emitting diode) lighting was identified as the best-fit option for Calgary’s roads. Council approved a city-wide retrofit of 80,000 streetlights which was completed in Summer 2017.

LED lighting FAQ

Although LED lighting can be more costly in terms of initial investment, it offers the benefit of substantially reduced electricity and maintenance costs, while maintaining recommended lighting levels. LED street lights also result in a better quality of lighting on Calgary’s roads, improving people’s ability to see details while walking and driving

​In comparison to High Pressure Sodium fixtures, LED fixtures present an opportunity to reduce light wastage. This reduction in light wastage also results in energy conservation and efficiency, as well as the reduction in the cost of operating Calgary’s street lighting system.

Yes, the potential impacts were evaluated. The LED technology that was chosen for residential areas in Calgary uses a warmer light, meaning that exposure to blue light will be minimal. The Canadian standard is 5000 to 6000 Kelvin. The City of Calgary has choosen to use a light temperature of 3000 Kelvin to provide a softer light for citizens.

Benefits of LED street lighting

LED lighting is now roughly the same cost as the older standard high pressure sodium lights, but offers a number of longer-term benefits: